more with anne applebaum on life in soviet east germany, poland, and hungary. the end of world war ii in 1956. from historical narrative, iron curtain, on c-span's "q&a". >> ben bernanke announced monetary actions that the federal reserve will try to take sustained economic recovery, including keeping interest rates low. mr. ben bernanke spoke to leaders after the market meeting. this is one hour and 15 minutes. >> the economy continues to expand at a moderate pace. unfortunately, however, unemployment remains high. about 5 million people, more than 40% of the unemployed have been unemployed for six months or more. and millions more have been able to find only part-time employment or have stopped working entirely. the conditions now prevailing in the job market represent an enormous waste of human and economic potential. the return to broad-based prosperity will require steady improvement in the job market, which requires longer economic growth. meanwhile, apart from temporary fluctuations in large swings in energy prices, inflation has remained tame. 2% object